His Filthy Lies

3

CHAPTER 3

Three months later

Diavolo stared at the skylines of Newyork in silence. There was an eeriness to the silence in his penthouse.

Why was he feeling this way ? What was he feeling? He should have some peace of mind now that the he'd found about her betrayal before more damage was done. Turning his back to the window , he stared at the stack of files piled at the table as the evening news droned in the background.

When coming to Newyork ten months ago , he had not planned to stay here for this long. He was supposed to return home within a month or two. But things went wrong because of the McAllisters and he'd extended his stay. He'd been dumb enough to trust someone...

Tomorrow he'd fly back to Europe to meet his family and have the ceremony for their newest luxury hotel- the same one that would have happened a lot before if the McAllisters and Evenora hadn't held him back.

A derisive snort nearly rolled from his throat. He, the CEO of Veneziani International, had been manipulated and stolen from by a woman. Because of her, he and his brothers had lost two of their designs to their closest competitor before he'd discovered her betrayal. He should have turned her over to the authorities, but he'd been too stunned, too weak to do such a thing.

He hadn't even ridded his apartment of her belongings. He'd assumed she'd return to collect them, and maybe a small part of him had hoped she would so he could confront her again and ask her why , or maybe she would come back to him...

It was time to have her out of his mind completely.

When his phone rand from the other end of the room ,he cursed angrily and picked it up hastily.

"What ?" He barked into the phone , taking his fingers through his silky black hair.

"Boss ! It's me Anton. I actually found...."

Anton, his driver's voice trailed off in his mind as he thought of the possibilities his driver ,the one who would not utter a word except a 'yes' or 'Okay' , calling him out of the blue for the first -

But when he heard her name amidst the jumble of his thoughts, he thought he'd merely conjured it from his dark musings, but when he heard it again , he froze.

"What did you say ?!" He yelled into the phone .

Surely he had heard it wrong....

"I said , Miss Genovese is in the hospital. She was ki-"

"What happened to her ?" he asked urgently.

"She actually -" Anton stopped mid sentence. "Ugh .Sorry boss , there is the media everywhere and I -"

Media ?

He quickly tossed the phone in the bed and turned the channel from business to local news.

A news reporter stood outside a local hospital, and it took a few moments for the buzzing in Diavolo's ears to stop long enough for him to comprehend what was being said. The scene changed as they rolled footage taken earlier of a woman being taken out of a rundown apartment building on a stretcher.

Was he seeing things ?

He leaned forward, his face twisted in disbelief. It was Evenora. His Evie.

He bolted from his desk and fumbled for the remote to turn the volume up. So stunned was he that he only comprehended every fourth word or so, but he heard enough.

Evenora had been abducted and tortured but now rescued. The details on the who and why were still sketchy, but she'd endured a long period of captivity.

He tensed in expectation that somehow his name would be linked to hers, but then why should it? Their relationship had been a highly guarded secret, a necessary one in his world. His wish for privacy was one born of desire and necessity. Only after her betrayal had he been even more relieved by the circumspection he utilized in all his relationships. She'd made a fool of him, and only the knowledge that the rest of the world didn't know soothed him.

Was this all made up ? Had she portrayed her own k********g and planned to put the blame on him ?

As the camera zoomed in on her pale, frightened face, he felt something inside him twist painfully. She looked the same as she had the night he'd confronted her with her deception. Pale, shocked, vulnerable and in pain.

But what the reporter said next stopped him cold, even as an uneasy sensation rippled up his spine. He reported mother and child being listed in stable condition and that Evenora's captivity had not harmed her pregnancy.

The reporter continued that she appeared to be four or five months along. Other details were not yet available from the police. No arrests had been made, as her captors had escaped.

"Mio Dio " he murmured, shocked.

He stood and reached for the phone as he strode from his apartment. When he broke from the entrance of the well-secured apartment high-rise, his Anton had just pulled around.

"How did you come to know , Anton ?" he whispered in the car and Anton turned back to him frowning.

"The hospital folks tried the emergency contacts on her phone and reached out to me. I was shocked too . " The driver shook his head. "I mean your girlfriend hadn't saved your contact number on the emergency list ."

They quickly reached the hospital

The reporters were gone and there was no media in sight. Diavolo blew an exaggerated sigh and walked inside to the doctor.

"Who is Miss Genovese to you ?" The doctor asked him swiftly.

"I'm her fiance!"

Diavolo shot him an irritated glare and the doctor sighed.

"Okay , okay. Her physical condition looks good for now. However her emotional state concerns me "

He simmered impatiently as he waited for the doctor complete his blabbering.

"But she hasn't been harmed " Diavolo staed simply as if her physical state wasnt a concern to him.

"I didn't say that " the doctor murmured. "I merely said her physical condition isn't serious."

"Then quit beating around the bush and tell me what I need to know."

The doctor narrowed his eyes at him as if studying him before speaking.

"Miss Genovese has endured a great trauma. I cannot know exactly how great, because she cannot remember anything of her captivity."

"Say what !?" Diavolo stared at the doctor as if he'd grown two heads.

"she remembers nothing before. She only knows her name , I'm afraid. Even her pregnancy has come as a shock to her."

Diavolo ran a hand through his hair and swore in two languages. "what what what mean? She remembers nothing? "

The doctor shook his head. "I'm afraid not. She's extremely vulnerable. Fragile. Which is why it's so important that you do not upset her. She has a baby to carry for four and a half more months and an ordeal from which to recover."

Diavolo sighed of impatience. "Of course I would do nothing to upset her. I just find it hard to believe that she remembers nothing."

The doctor shook his head. "The experience has obviously been very traumatic for her. I suspect it's her mind's way of protecting her. It's merely shut down until she can better cope with all that has happened."

"Did they..." Diavolo couldn't even bring himself to complete the question, and yet he had to know. "Did they r**e her?"

"I found no evidence that she had been mistreated in that way. There is no way to find out all she has endured until she is able to tell us. And we must be patient and not press her before she is ready. As I said, she is extremely fragile."

Diavolo sighed "I understand. Now can I see her?"

The doctor nodded. "You can see her. However, I would caution you not to be too forthcoming with the details of her abduction."

A frown creased Diavolo's brow as he stared at the man infront if him "You want me to lie to her?"

"I don't want you to upset her. You can give her details of her life. It is my suggestion, however, and I've conferred with the hospital psychiatrist on this matter, that you not rush to give her the details of her captivity and how she came to lose her memory. In fact, we know very little, so it would be unwise to speculate or offer her information that could be untrue. She must be kept calm. I don't like to think of what another upset could cause her in her current state. I am sure she will regain her memory soon"

Diavolo nodded reluctantly. What the doctor said made no sense.

She lost her memory?

But he wouldn't push her if it would cause her or the baby any harm.

The doctor nodded. "I'll have a nurse take you to her "

Marley struggled underneath IV. She murmured a low protest when she opened her eyes. Awareness was not what she sought.

Confusion.

There was nothing for her in wakefulness. Her life was one black hole of nothingness. All that she knew was her name.

Evenora Genovese.

Answers she needed to questions that swarmed her every time she wakened. Her past lay like a great barren landscape before her. The answers dangled beyond her, taunting her and escaping before she could reach out and take hold.

She turned her head on the thin pillow, fully intending to slip back into the void of sleep when a firm hand grasped hers. Fear scurried up her spine until she remembered that she was safe and in a hospital. Still, she yanked her hand away as her chest rose and fell with her quick breaths.

"You must not go back to sleep."

A man's voice slid across her skin, leaving warmth in its wake.

She turned to face this stranger-or was he? Was he someone she knew? Who knew her? Could he be the father of the child nestled below her heart?

Her hand automatically felt for her rounded belly as her gaze lighted on the man who'd spoken to her.

He was a tall anddangerously intent as he stared back at her. He wasn't native but he was built like Greek god.

"Our baby is fine" he said as his gaze dropped to the hand she had cupped protectively over her abdomen.

She tensed as she realized that he was indeed staking a claim. Shouldn't she know him? She reached for something, some semblance of recognition, but unease and fear were all she found.

"Our baby ?" she croaked. "Who... are you?"

Something flickered in those golden eyes, but he kept his expression neutral. Had she hurt him with the knowledge she didn't know him?

He pulled a chair to the side of the bed and settled his large frame into it.

"I am Diavolo Veneziani. Your fiancé."

She searched his face for the truth of his words, but he looked back at her calmly , a blank expression on his face.

"I'm sorry," she said and swallowed when her voice cracked. "I don't remember...."

"I know. I've spoken to the doctor. But it's not important right now. "

Her eyes flew back to his face in shock "Home?"

He nodded. " Home."

"And where is home ?" She hated having to ask. Hated that she was lying here conversing with a complete stranger. Only apparently he wasn't. He was someone she had been intimate with. Obviously in love with. They were engaged, and she was pregnant with his child. Shouldn't that stir something inside her?

"You're trying too hard, mi amor," he said softly. "I can see the strain on your face. You mustn't rush things. "

She clutched his hand then looked down at their linked fingers. "Will it? What if it doesn't?" Fear rose in her chest and she struggled to breathe.

"Calm yourself, bambina. Your struggling will do you and the baby no good."

Hearing her name on his lips did odd things. It felt as though he was speaking of a stranger even though she did remember her name.

"Can you tell me something about me? Anything?" She was practically begging now. Tears stung her eyes as she looked up at his face.

Cursing softly , Diavolo teacher out to her and pull her clothes to his body. She hesitated for a moment before wrapping her eyes around his waist and breathed slowly.

"There will be plenty of time for us to talk later," Diavolo cooed. He stroked her forehead, pushing back her hair. "For now, rest."

"Where is home?" she asked again.

His lips thinned for just a moment, and then his expression eased.

"Home for us has been here in the city. My business takes me away often, but we had an apartment together here. My plan is to take you to my island as soon as you are well enough to travel."

Her brows furrowed as she sought to comprehend the oddity of his statement. It sounded so...impersonal. There was no emotion, no hint of joy, just a sterile recitation of fact.

As if sensing she was about to ask more questions, he bent over and pressed his lips to her forehead. "Rest Evie"

She closed her eyes wearily and nodded.

He stood there a moment, and then she heard his footsteps retreating. When her door closed, she opened her eyes again, only to feel the damp trail of tears against her cheeks.

She should feel relief that she wasn't alone. Somehow Diavolo's presence hadn't reassured her as it should. She felt more unsure , unsafe than ever.

She closed her eyes willing the peaceful numbness of sleep to take over once more.